ABSTRACT
The vision of this book is to demonstrate the development of new plants that are based on renewable resources that supply the needed goods and services of current petrochemical plants. The vision includes converting existing plants to ones that are based on renewable resources requiring nonrenewable resource supplements. This vision is an essential component of sustainable development. It embodies the concepts that sustainability is a path of continuous improvement, wherein the products and services required by society are delivered with progressively less negative impact upon the Earth. It is consistent with the Brundtland Commission report that de‚nes “Sustainable Development” as “development which meets the needs of the present without sacri‚cing the ability of the future to meet its needs” (United Nations, 1987).
